


The Amazing Story of Superman Red & Superman Blue

by Smokeycut



Series: History of A DC Universe [2]
Category: DCU (Comics), Superman - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - 1950s, Clark gets split in two and it's rad as shit, F/M, Superman Red and Superman Blue
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2020-04-05 07:39:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19044097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smokeycut/pseuds/Smokeycut
Summary: Superman is split into two beings, but they don't see eye to eye. As their lives continue, and as the world changes, how will it react to two Supermen? And how will the Supermen react to each other?





	The Amazing Story of Superman Red & Superman Blue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! This fic mostly came about because of writers' block, combined with the fact that I just really like the idea of Superman Red and Superman Blue? Anyways, it was an old story from the 50s or 60s, where Superman split himself into two beings. This takes inspiration from that, but it tells a different story. 
> 
> This is going to explore the different sides of Superman's identity, as well as things such as the role a superhero can play in changing the world, sexuality in the 1950s, and the growth of the Superfamily. If your fav isn't tagged, keep an eye out. They have a strong chance of showing up in the future!

There was light. 

Blinding, searing light.

Greens shifting into blues and yellows, into pinks and purples and reds, into white. Blinding, searing white light. 

And then the light faded, and everything was normal. And then the light faded, and nothing was ever the same again.

********************

Superman looked down at himself, and as far as he could see, nothing was wrong. The same showed on X-Rays. Luthor’s device had no effect on him. But when his vision shifted back to normal, he noticed a slight oddity. 

His trunks were blue, rather than red. The same for his boots, and what he could see of his cape. Clark couldn’t help but laugh. He patted his chest, and he felt perfectly fine. But when he looked up, and his eyes locked onto Luthor, Clark saw that his arch enemy seemed rather surprised by the fact that he was unharmed. He dropped his raygun onto the carpeted floor with a thud. Clark cracked his knuckles, then grabbed Luthor by the shirt and lifted him into the air with a small, confident smile written across his face. 

“No dice, Luthor. How many strings did you have to pull to get the components for that raygun, by the way? Because I’m sad to say it was all for nothing.”

Luthor said nothing. The redheaded CEO was slack-jawed and speechless. Clark set him down on the ground, but held onto him firmly. Lois had finally gathered all the evidence she needed to pin Luthor, to get him arrested and prove his crimes. Clark was damned if he let the man get away. 

Superman had arrived with Lois, barely ten minutes before, to inform Luthor that they had him dead to rights on funding the Legion of Doom. There was a brief scramble, as Luthor tried to escape, but once his avenues were cut off, he tried to defend himself. The raygun he pulled, according to his claims, was capable of sublimating the man of steel in an instant. But when the swirling ray of energy struck Clark’s chest, all it did was blind everyone in the room for a moment. 

“Superman…” Lois said in a low, awe struck voice. Her hands covered her mouth, and her eyes, not unlike Luthor’s were wide open. Clark looked at her in confusion, then back at Luthor.

Slowly, Luthor raised a shaky arm, and pointed past Superman. His gaze followed, and he turned around to see… Himself. 

The other him was standing still, though his eyes flicked back and forth between the three people who stood in Luthor’s office with him. Whereas all of the red in Clark’s costume had turned a cool blue, it seemed as though all of the blue on his copy’s outfit had become a bright, cherry red. Beyond that, they were identical. Same face, same hair, same body. But while Clark’s expression shifted, and became as surprised and worried as Lois’, the red-clad copy of himself just… Watched them. 

“You’re… A copy of me?” Clark said softly. 

The copy raised an eyebrow, and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Actually, I think that _you_ are a copy of _me_.”

All eyes turned, and focused on Luthor. Whatever had just happened, it was clearly his blame to carry. He seemed to shrink back in fear, for the first time in his life intimidated by his rival. Or now, rather, both of his rivals. He wilted under their imposing, shaming gaze. 

“Th-the sublimation gun must have backfired. No, no, it was _perfect_!” Luthor’s expression turned from dismay to outrage, as he realized his own error. “The only way it could have failed was if-”

“If you had forgotten to account for the yellow sun radiation in my cells, and how your ray’s spore drive would affect those cells in tandem with the radiation,” The copy explained, as he reached down and picked up the device. He examined it carefully, peering straight inside it with his X-Ray vision. “If you had just added a red solar battery, you could have avoided that problem.”

“Are you trying to help him?” Clark asked, incredulous. His eyes narrowed as he stared down his clone, but the copy just looked at him passively, still betraying very little emotion. 

“I was just letting him know where he went wrong.”

“Look, fellas, we can wag dicks later, alright?” Lois shot a stern look at both Supermen, quieting their argument before it could boil over into anything more. “For now, I suggest one of you haul Luthor down to meet the police?”

“I’ll go,” The red clothed Superman said. He reached out and took Luthor by the shirt, and flew him out the window and down into the street below before anyone could protest. He left behind the blue Superman and Lois, who locked eyes, before breaking out into awkward smiles. 

“So, what can a gal do with two Supermen?” Lois wondered aloud, nudging Clark in the ribs.

“Miss Lane, you’re going to make me blush.”

********************

Lois sat in the kitchen of her and Clark’s apartment, a mug of coffee in her hand and a pair of Supermen sitting across from her. The one who had stayed with her in Luthor’s office had changed back into a suit, tie, and glasses, wearing his Clark Kent identity like a comforting blanket. His counterpart, however, still wore the bright red costume he had found himself in. 

Clark coughed, as Superman looked out the window, at the setting sun. Lois rubbed her nose between her thumb and forefinger, and tried to make some headway on the situation they had found themselves in. 

“So, is this a clone situation or a split personality one?”

“I’m not sure, to be honest,” Clark said. 

“It’s not that simple,” Superman said at the same time. Noticing Lois and Clark’s slightly offended stares, he swallowed. “Sorry.”

“Then what are we dealing with?” Lois asked. She reached out to take his hand, only for him to pull it away. Clark, however, reached out to hold hers. 

“Luthor’s sublimation device was meant to reduce us to a gaseous state. Instead, it impacted the solar energy in our cells, and charged them in a way that it, in a manner of speaking, refracted us. Created two Supermen from one.”

“Sounds like a clone to me,” Lois snarked. She set down her coffee and smoothed out her skirt as she stood up from the table. 

“If one of us were a clone, then that means one is the original. The two of us are both the original Superman, just split into two entities,” Superman explained. 

“We’ll have to go and take a look at that device tomorrow then,” Clark mused, rubbing his chin. “I’m sure if we put our heads together, we can find a way to become one person again.”

“Why should we?”

Lois and Clark looked at Superman, confused. They exchanged a look, then looked back to him, and watched as he shrugged. 

“I don’t see a downside to our current situation,” He elaborated. “Two Supermen can do more than one. We can make the world twice as safe as before.”

“Well, yeah, but…” Clark found himself at a loss for words, but Lois stepped in to say what she knew he was thinking. 

“There can’t be two Clark Kents running around,” She argued. “And as much fun as I could have with two of you for a night, I don’t think I’d want to spend my whole life that way.”

“Then don’t.” Superman stood, and looked away from the conversation, out the window at the red and orange sky. He could feel it calling to him, leading him somewhere else. Somewhere away from these two people, and their anxieties over his existence. He knew, as well as they did, that they already considered the man sitting at the table to be the real Clark. He was just the other one. And to tell the truth, he felt the same way.

“You two can keep living your lives the way you were. I’m content to just… Be Superman.”

“And what about us?” Lois asked, her voice beginning to betray a sense of sadness. 

He looked at them, and offered a slight, reassuring smile. “Your boyfriend is sitting right in front of you, Lois. I’d just crowd the room.”

Clark sighed, and he watched in silence as the other him opened the window, and began to climb out onto the fire escape. But just before the crimson Kryptonian could leave, Clark cleared his throat.

“Is it alright if we just, I don’t know, try to make a distinction? A clearer one, I mean.”

“You don’t think the color coded costumes are enough?”

“He has a point,” Lois muttered. 

“I mean names. Sure, I can be Superman Blue and you can be Superman Red, that’s fine. But if I’m Clark Kent, then who are you?”

He smiled, and winked at the pair, before flying off for parts unknown. But before he left in a red streaked blur, he gave a rather simple answer. 

“Just call me Kal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to see more of this, please, kudos and comment!


End file.
